NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday felicitated all the medal winners of the recently-concluded 18th edition of the Asian Games.
The players present at the ceremony expressed happiness over being felicitated and appreciated the government initiatives in the field of sports.
Speaking on the sidelines of the event, wrestler Bajrang Punia, who had clinched India's first gold medal in the tournament, said that it is heartening to get the support from ministers and assured that players would continue to perform well in the coming events.
"This is India's best performance at the Asian Games since 1951 and shows how much our performance has improved. Prime Minister, Sports Minister and all others are supporting us. We can win more medals only if we have everyone's support," Punia said.
Indian athlete Hima Das, who bagged a silver medal in women's 400 m event of the tournament, thanked her supporters for continuously encouraging her during the journey.
"I trained hard but we got good facilities. Financial difficulties were a part of the initial stage of my journey but I learned many things from my experiences," she added.
India clinched a total of 69 medals in the prestigious quadrennial tournament- fifteen gold, twenty-four silver, and thirty bronze.